This book looks widely and informatively at the impacts of cycling on the health of mid life cyclists and although there is nothing to suggest my condition is cycling related, the book’s discussions on the heart , was incredibly useful in understanding my own position. The MidLife Cyclist‘s discussion of heart health was particularly timely for me. I had a serious dehydration experience about a month ago, literally while I was reading the chapter on heart conditions. Getting some depth of understanding about what might be going on in my chest helped me feel more at ease. It also motivated me to make a doctor’s appointment. Why worry, when you can get answers and move on with your life? The final chapter, ‘The Mindful Cyclist’, gathered importance during the writing of the book. It grew from a single sentence into an entire chapter. Why? Because every consultant, medic, coach and athlete that we interviewed went out of their way to highlight the emerging importance of a holistic mind-body approach to effectively balancing hard training, ageing and general life health. All the cardiologists flagged up unspecified ‘inflammation’ as a possible contributor to potential problems. We look in depth at the role of the autonomic nervous system, alcohol and even sleep to help you become faster, calmer and healthier. An amazing accomplishment... a simple-to-understand précis of your midlife as a cyclist – you won't want to put it down.' – Phil Liggett, TV cycling commentator No. Cycling will probably help you to push out that date. I think cycling and exercise is the best drug that the pharmaceutical industry has never invented, and it will preserve your lifespan almost certainly, yes. But it can't make you immortal, or me, sadly.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a mid life cyclist myself, it is a subject of interest, but it is delivered in a readable and enjoyable manner by an author who exudes a love of cycling and does so with good humour. He makes the point that people like me (65 y+ triathletes) are the first large cohort of oldies doing excessive exercise and that over the next couple of decades, we will learn more about the benefits and disadvantages and consequently be able to design better strategies to avoid the latter and optimise the former. Let's hope so! The book starts strongly with chapter 1 analysing the physical decline we all face and offers practical advice how to counteract these effects and maximise the health benefits of cycling. Chapter 2 brings to our attention how unnatural a bicycle actually is, before moving on to the central question in chapter 3, will high level training lead into one's advanced years actually shorten lifespan and thinks about risks and mitigations. You could use a heart rate monitor and use a percentage of your highest recent recorded heart rate or you could use the RPE/Borg Scale and the ‘sing-a-verse’ methodology (which I prefer, incidentally). It’s important to note that riding in an oxidative state involves metabolising fatty acids as a fuel source, which could be important if you’re also trying to manage weight as well as gain fitness. We older and less fit midlife cyclists are, as a group, riding harder and faster, relative to our maximum, than the top-ranked professionals in the world. And we're holding down jobs and trying to be great parents and partners.Phil's book can help you be as good today as you always said you were ― Carlton Kirby, Eurosport commentator Time's arrow traditionally plots an incremental path into declining strength and speed for all of us. But we are different to every other generation of cyclists in human history. An ever-growing number of us are determined to scale the highest peaks of elite physical fitness into middle-age and beyond. Can the emerging medical and scientific research help us achieve the holy triumvirate of speed and health with age? An amazing accomplishment... a simple-to-understand précis of your midlife as a cyclist - you won't want to put it down. ― Phil Liggett, TV cycling commentator RENOWNED CYCLING BIOMECHANICS PIONEER, PHIL CAVELL, EXPLORES THE GROWING TREND OF MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER CYCLISTS SEEKING TO ACHIEVE HIGH-LEVEL PERFORMANCE.

cleats are only for keeping a firm connection to the pedal in a pre-adjusted stance to suit the user’s feet; Renowned cycling biomechanics pioneer, Phil Cavell, explores the growing trend of middle-aged and older cyclists seeking to achieve high-level performance. Using contributions from leading coaches, ex-professionals and pro-team doctors, he produces the ultimate manifesto for mature riders who want to stay healthy, avoid injury and maximise their achievement levels. Which leads us onto the most important question of all in ‘Will I Die?’ Will doing more of what you love, kill you or make you better? The press loves to run poorly researched, sensational articles about how intense exercise could hurt or even kill you, should you exercise hard into middle age. They are cynically exploiting a temporary knowledge gap to sell their newspapers and magazines. We consult with world-leading cardiologists and cyclists, and review the latest research for a calmer, deeper assessment of the likely outcome of riding as hard as you like as you get older. And whether outcomes may differ for men and women. Have to say I’m a little all over the place rating wise. Part of the book were a slug and other parts were a slam dunk and made me want to read more and more.

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Every time you go above this level, you’re having to use enzymes to break down the excess lactate. Dr Baker's coach’s eye view: ‘If you feel good on an endurance ride, go longer, not harder. Going harder is risky. Going longer is safe. It’s the same with intervals — if you feel good, do an extra rep or two, but don’t increase the power.’ An amazing accomplishment... a simple-to-understand precis of your midlife as a cyclist you won't want to put it down.' Phil Liggett, TV cycling commentator